This year’s Senate contest was the most expensive in state – and possibly in U.S. – history.

Clinton, who beat Lazio in a landslide, spent $29.5 million on the race, according to her campaign staff.

Filings with the Federal Election Commission detailed expenditures as of Nov. 27. She took in $2.7 million and spent about $2 million, much of it on advertising, from Oct. 19 until Nov. 27.

Lazio spent more than $32 million as of mid-October in his losing bid to replace retiring Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

Lazio’s office yesterday refused to release his campaign’s most recent spending report, referring questions about it to the FEC. An FEC spokeswoman said the Lazio filing was not publicly available yesterday.

But even without Lazio’s recent figures, the two campaigns’ spending, added to the $19 million Mayor Giuliani spent in his aborted Senate effort, make the race the costliest in the nation to date.

“The cost of running for office in New York is Exhibit A for strong campaign finance reform, which Hillary will fight for in the Senate,” said Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson.

With Giuliani’s spending included, the New York race outpaced the New Jersey Senate race, in which Democrat Jon Corzine spent $62 million, mostly out his own pocket, to beat Republican Bob Franks, who spent just $6.1 million.

Spending in the New York race was further fueled by out-of-state funding on both sides inspired by the controversial Clinton.

Prior to this race, the most expensive in New York was in 1998, when GOP incumbent Sen. Al D’Amato spent $24.2 million in losing to Democratic challenger Charles Schumer, who spent $16.7 million.

The old national Senate record was the 1994 race in California, in which Republican Michael Huffington spent $29.4 million in a losing effort against Democratic incumbent Dianne Feinstein, who spent $13.9 million.

The big figures in New York and New Jersey are not an aberration, according to FEC spokeswoman Sharon Snyder, who said increased spending is the norm nationwide.